Social StructureSocial Structure

Ministry of the

Colonies

King of Spain

Governor General

Royal Audiencia (highest judicial

body)

Archbishop of Manila

General Segundo

Cabo

Board of Authorities

Corregidores (not completely pacified)

Alcaldes en ordinario

Cabeza de Barangay or Cabeza del

Barrio

Gobernadorcillo or Capitan

Council of Administrati

on

Alcalde Mayor

(pacified areas)

Structure of the Structure of the Philippine GovernmentPhilippine Government

Provincial Governmen

t

(advisory bodies)

(adviser on military affairs)

(City Government or Ayuntamiento)

1. Alcaldia Mayor2. Corregimientos

for barrios

for municipal government

the government which Spain set up in the Philippines was highly centralized that the central or national government was so

powerful that almost nothing official could be done without its knowledge and consent

there were two branches of government, the executive and judicial

there was no legislative branch because laws passed in Spain were extended to the Philippines or simply the laws to govern the Philippines were not made in the Philippines but in Spain

executive powers were exercised by the governor-general, while judicial powers were exercised by the judges of the Royal

Audiencia (Supreme Court), by judges of the lower courts, and to a certain extent by the governor-general – all these officials

represented the central government

below the central government were the provincial, the municipal, the barrio, and the city governments

The Municipal Government

below the provincial government was the municipal government and each municipality or town was headed by the gobernadorcillio (little

governor), popularly known as the capitan

the barrios or barangays of which each town was composed were headed by a cabeza de barangay

The Provincial Government

the provinces in the Philippines in the Spanish times were of two kinds – the civil

provinces and the military provinces

the civil provinces were headed by the alcade-mayor and the military provinces were headed by army officers

known as corregidores

Alcalde - Alcalde -

mayormayor the colonial chieftain and exercised both executive and

judicial powers including the power to collect taxes

exercised both executive and judicial powers, collected tributes from the town and enjoyed the privilege of monopolizing

commerce in the province and engaged in usury

manipulated government funds as well as drew loans from the obras pias, the friars' chest for "charities," to

engage in nefarious commerce and usury

described as a model of graft, corruption, and inefficiency brought about by inexperienced men being assigned to govern the provinces

had the privilege of engaging in trade to increase his income (indulto de comercio) but abused his powers and committed

graft

CorregiCorregidoresdorespolitico – military governors

in charge of the corregimientos or the territories that had not been completely pacified

GobernadGobernadorcilloorcillo

their office was open to Filipinos

assisted by four deputies called tenientes, a chief of police, and

subordinate officials called alguaciles

in the beginning, he was elected for a term of one year by all the married men in each town but by

the late 19th century, he was elected by a board of electors composed of outgoing gobernadorcillo

and twelve cabeza de barangay (barangay heads)

to qualify for the office of the gobernadorcillo, one had to be a Filipino of at least 25 years of age and

must know how to read and write Spanish, and must have been a teniente mayor or cabeza de

barangay

Cabeza de Cabeza de barangaybarangay

each town had several villages or barangays placed directly under the cabezas de barangay

was appointed by the gobernadorcillo from among the former datus or gobernadorcillo’s

relatives

his most important duty is to collect taxes from the barrio or barangay inhabitants

the town and barangay officials had no salary and their positions were honorary

they and their families however were exempted from paying tributes and were considered as members pf the principalia (leading citizens)

Composition of the Composition of the Filipino SocietyFilipino Society

Españoles

- españoles peninsulares

- españoles insulares

Mestizos / mestizas

- Chinese mestizos

- Spanish mestizos

Indios

EspaEspaññolesoles

españoles peninsulares

españoles insulares

- born in the Spanish peninsula

- both parents are Spanish

- also known as the criollos or full–blooded Spaniards born in the colonies

Indio Indio (Masses / indios (Masses / indios

naturales)naturales) literally, Indians; the Spanish term for Filipinos or natives of

the Philippines without Spanish or Chinese ancestry

regarded as belonging to the “primitive” and “inferior races” and as fit to be to be enslaved or subjugated and could not

comprehend more than the basic knowledge

Mestizo Mestizo

the offspring of Filipino and non-Filipino marriages; includes those of Spanish-Filipino parentage and

Chinese-Filipino parentage

a Spanish term for racially mixed people

formed the first Filipino elite during the colonial period, and today they continue to form an

economically and politically important minority

Chinese mestizo (mestizos de

sangley)

Spanish mestizo(mestizos de español)

described as rich, active and intelligent and comprised about 23 percent of the combined

total of indios and mestizos

when indios and mestizos intermarried, the old structure of local government weakened and their rise was a major challenge to the colonial state

they mixed with the local and Chinese population, creating another mestizo

population

earlier Spanish mestizos in the countryside were illicit offspring of friars and were absorbed into

Indio communities

often referred to themselves as criollos, wanting to claim pure Spanish blood and fearing descent

on the colonial social ladder

Social Social ClassesClasses

Principalia

Masses

the highest class was reserved for the

Spaniards

as members of the conquering race, they were the

administrators and high government and church officials

MassMasseses

consisted of the poor, such as laborers and the peasants

enjoyed a few rights and no privileges

could not vote or be elected to a public office

were kept to the status of serfs and even the freemen became dispossessed

Principalia or the principales (principal ones)Principalia or the principales (principal ones)

had local wealth; high status and prestige; and certain privileges, such as exemption from taxes, lesser roles in the

parish church, and appointment to local offices

larger and more influential than the preconquest nobility, and it created and perpetuated an oligarchic system of local control

became responsible for collecting and remitting tributes and other contributions to the encomendero and church, and in return, they and their eldest sons were exempt from tribute and labor service

and their position allowed them to engage in various tactics to enrichment, such as demanding excess payment and reviving debt

slaveryreferred to the prominent land-owning and propertied citizens who could read, write, and speak English and enjoyed many social and political advantages including the right to vote in elections and the

right to hold public office

the descendants of the ancient datus and maharlikas, the rich plantation owners, and the local officials or ex-officials; the members of this class comprised the town aristrocracy

iLLustraiLLustradodoin the 19th century, thanks to the opening of the

Philippines to world trade and the effects of material progress, a new social class – the illustrado, an

enlightened middle class – developed in the country

members of this social class formed the town intelligentsia

they enjoyed economic security and high social status

came from wealthy Filipino families that could afford to send them to the limited number of secondary schools

(colegios) open to non-Spaniards

they included physicians, pharmacists, lawyers, teachers, writers, businessmen, and educated property owners

among them were Jose Rizal, Emilio Jacinto, Apolinario Mabini, etc.

PictuPicturesres

costume of a family belonging to Principalía during the late 19th centuryThe Ilustrados: José Rizal, Marcelo H. del Pilar and Mariano Ponce.